Chapter 3

“Make way! Everyone stand back!”

A swarm of reporters carrying cameras pushed their way inside.

Blinding camera flashes instantly illuminated the dim interior of the Hall of Souls Clinic.

“Good evening, viewers. We're coming to you live from the mysterious Hall of Souls Clinic here in Rivergate!”

A female reporter spoke rapidly into her microphone as she faced the camera.

“As you can see, Samuel Hall, the hero who rescued six children from a burning building earlier today, is currently fighting for his life on a stretcher.

“And yet Dr. Ashley Cross, who claims to be the successor to the legendary Thirteen Needles of Revival, has allegedly refused to treat him, citing nothing more than her own rules.”

The cameras swung directly toward my face.

Outside the clinic, the crowd erupted into chaos.

People shouted insults at the top of their lungs. Some even picked up chunks of broken pavement and hurled them at the clinic's front door.

“Shut this place down!”

“Drive that heartless woman out of Rivergate!”

“Letting a man die like this is murder!”

Amid the deafening uproar, Jason Watson, president of the Rivergate Chamber of Commerce, strode through the doorway with a grim expression.

Behind him came the president of the Medical Licensing Board, flanked by several tough-looking men who resembled bodyguards more than physicians.

Jason glanced at Samuel lying on the floor.

His face darkened instantly.

Then he turned and fixed me with a hard stare.

“Dr. Cross, we're here to protect one of Rivergate's most respected citizens.”

His voice carried the authority of a man accustomed to being obeyed.

“Mr. Hall isn't just the richest man in Rivergate. If something happens to him, the impact on this city's economy will be enormous.”

Jason stopped in front of me and lowered his voice.

“If you refuse to save him today, the public backlash alone will destroy you.

“Do you really want to risk losing your medical license? Or having this clinic shut down?

“You're a smart woman. Don't make this harder than it needs to be.”

He straightened and gave a curt wave of his hand.

The president of the Medical Licensing Board immediately stepped forward.

“Ashley Cross, all it takes is one report from me for your medical credentials to come under review.

“When that happens, whether this clinic stays open is anyone's guess.”

Threats and pressure.

Carrots and sticks.

Every powerful figure in Rivergate now stood against me.

What awaited me was public condemnation, professional ruin, and the complete destruction of everything I built.

Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to give in.

I inhaled the sharp scent of burning sage, and my eyes gradually turned cold.

“Mr. Watson, that's quite a display of authority.”

I flipped the desk in front of me with one violent motion.

The teacup crashed to the floor and shattered into countless pieces.

“My medical license? Revoke it if you want.

“This clinic? You can bulldoze it to the ground right now.”

I pointed at my own head and stared straight at the gun barrels aimed at me.

“My life's right here. If you've got the nerve, pull the trigger.

“But remember this. My rules are absolute. I don't care whether it's a king, a billionaire, or a living saint standing in front of me. The rules don't change.

“Today, you can hold a knife to my throat. You can reduce this clinic to rubble.

“But I still won't touch him.”

Jason's face turned deathly pale with rage.

The hand pointing at me trembled violently.

“You lunatic...You're completely out of your mind!”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Suddenly, the monitor beside the stretcher erupted into a shrill alarm.

The heart-rate line on the screen spiked wildly.

Then it began flattening toward a straight line.

Samuel was running out of time.